Do Hair Growth Vitamins Really Work?

 

Celebrities such as (clockwise) Kourtney Kardashian, Kylie Jenner, Khloe Kardashian, Kim Kardashian West, and Vanessa Hudgens have been actively promoting hair vitamins on their social media

 

Open Instagram, set a timer for two minutes, and see how many pictures you can find of celebrities, influencers, and ex-best friends from high school endorsing hair vitamins as the -greatest thing to happen to the beauty world since dry shampoo. I just did it and found, like, 10. It’s because for the first time in the history of the universe, vitamins are trendy. Or at least that’s what social media says.
But are they BS? I asked one of the sleuthiest hair experts I know to help break it all down.

 

What they’re -supposed to do

Allegedly—and we’re saying ‘allegedly’ because -supplements and vitamins are not FDA-regulated, -meaning brands’ claims go unchecked—hair -vitamins revamp your strands from the inside out thanks to a mix of ingredients like -biotin, folic acid, zinc, -Vitamins A, C, D, and E, and other hair-friendly botanicals. After a few months of taking them, your hair can -(supposedly) look -silkier, shinier, thicker, and -longer than usual, and your scalp’s oil -production can speed up or slow down, depending on which kind you take.

 

What they really do

While all those -vitamins are necessary for hair health and growth, they won’t do much if your body is already loaded with them—which it probably is. “Most -people get all the -vitamins they need to manage their hair growth from diet alone,” says Sydney-based trichologist and biochemist Dominic Burg. But the more the -merrier, right? Nope. Even if you take triple the vitamins your body needs, you won’t reap triple the hair-growth rewards. With most vitamins, your body keeps only what it needs, and you simply pee out
the rest.

 

So, are you vitamin deficient?

“A lot of women may be deficient either because they are dieting, have poor nutrition, or are under intense stress,” says Dominic. In these cases, “your body shuts down your hair growth and redirects nutrients and energy to the organs that need them most,” he explains. If you’ve ever -experienced a severe bout of physical or emotional stress, you might have noticed that your hair sheds afterward. “It’s a -reaction that -usually occurs around three months later,” Dominic  says. The only way to know for sure if you’re vitamin deficient is to have your levels tested by a -doctor. And if you are, you will likely see some benefits from vitamins after a few months of taking them. “They can help prevent the shedding stage that comes after a period of stress,” says Dominic. For maximum results, take them while you are under -pressure, and continue for a few weeks after.

 

When you’ll see a change

It won’t be an -overnight transformation. Why? “Your hair is dead, and nothing you do internally can affect its density, strength, or health when it’s already grown,” explains Dominic.
“Yes, vitamins can help the new hair that you’re growing, but because it grows only about half an inch a month, it’ll take two to three years of taking supplements before new, healthy hair reaches your shoulders.”

 

The bottom line

Make sure to test -supplements only from -reputable and well-reviewed brands. And, don’t get your hopes up, because, as we all know, not everything you see on social media is real—even if it’s, like, every third post on your feed. 

 

 

52% of you say you have tried beauty supplements before.

SOURCE: COSMO POLL

 

 

The  Hair Vitamins PEOPLE
CAN’T STOP TALKING about

 

The ones the Internet loves Hum Hair Sweet Hair, amazon.in, ₹7,309/60 tablets

 

The ones backed by derms Nutrafol Core For Women, amazon.com, ₹6,100 approx/120 tablets

 

The ones that taste good Power Gummies - Hair Vitamins With Biotin, nykaa.com, ₹1,200/60 tablets

 

The ones celebs use SugarBearHair Hair Vitamins, amazon.in, ₹15,999/120 tablets